It must already be obvious to the careful reader how
utterly these Theosophical conceptions change the man’s entire view of life
when he once becomes fully convinced of them ;and the direction of many of these changes, and the reasons on which
they are based, will have been seen from what has already been written.

We gain from Theosophy a rationalcomprehension of that
life which was before for so many of us a mere unsolved problem – a riddle
without an answer. From it we know why we are here, what we are expected to do,
and how we ought to set to work to do it. We see that, however little life may
seem worth living for the sake of any pleasures or profits belonging
exclusively to the physical plane, it is very emphatically worth living when
regarded merely as a school to prepare us for the indescribable glories and the
infinite possibilities of the higher planes.

In the light of the information which we acquire, we
see not only how to evolve ourselves, but also how to help others to evolve –
how by thought and action to make ourselves most useful, first of all to the
small circle of those most closely associated with us or those whom we
especially love, and then gradually by degrees, as our power increases, to the
entire human race.

By feelings and thoughts such as these we find
ourselves lifted altogether to a higher platform, and we see how narrow and
despicable is the petty and personal thought which has so often occupied us in
the past.We inevitably begin to regard
everything not merely as it affects our infinitesimal selves, but from the
wider standpoint of its influence upon humanity as a whole.

The various troubles and sorrows which come to us are
so often seen out of all proportion because they are so near to us; they seem
to obscure the whole horizon, as a plate held near the eyes will shut out the
sun, so that we often forget that “the heart of being is celestial rest.”But Theosophical teachings brings all these
things into due perspective, and enables us to rise above these clouds, to look
down and see things as they are,and not
merely as they appear when looked at from below by very limited vision.

We learn to sink altogether the lower personality,
with its mass of delusions and prejudices and its inability to see anything
truly; we learn to rise to an impersonal and unselfish standpoint, where to do
right for right’s sake seems to us the only rule of life, and to help our
fellowman the greatest of joys.

For it is a life of joy that now opens before us. As
the man evolves, his sympathy and compassion increase, so that he becomes more
and more sensitiveto the sin and sorrow
and suffering of the world.

Yet at the same time he sees more and more clearly the
cause of that suffering, and understands ever more and more fully that, in spite
of it all, all things are working together for the final good of all.And so there comes to him not only the deep
content and absolute security which is born of the certainty that all is well,
but also the definite and radiant joy derivedfrom the contemplation of the magnificent plan of the Logos, and of the
steady and unfailing success with which that mighty scheme moves to its
appointed end.

He learns that God means us to be happy, and that it
is definitely our duty to be so, in order that we may spread around us
vibrations of happiness upon others, since that is one of the methods by which
we may lighten the sorrow of the world. In ordinary life a great part of the
annoyance which men feel in connection with their various troubles is often
caused by a feeling that they come to them unjustly. A man will say: “Why
should all this come to me? There is my neighbour, who is in no way a better
man than I, yet he does not suffer from sickness, from loss of friends, or loss
of wealth? ; why then should I?”

Theosophy saves its students from this mistake, since
it makes it absolutely clear to them that no undeserved suffering can ever come
to any man. Whatever trouble we may encounter is simply of the nature of a debt
that we have incurred; since it has to be paid, the sooner it is cleared off
the better. Nor is this all; for every trouble is an opportunity for
development. If we bear it

patiently and bravely, not allowing it to crush us,
but meeting it and making the best of it, we thereby evolve within ourselves
the valuable qualities of courage, perseverance, determination; and so out of
the result of our sins of long ago we bring good instead of evil.

As has before been stated, all fear of death is
entirely removed for the Theosophical student, because he understands fully
what death is. He no longer mourns for those who have gone before, because they
are still present with him, and he knows that to give way to selfish grief
would be to cause sadness and depression to them. Since they are very near to
him, and since the sympathy

between them and himself is closer than ever before,
he is well aware that uncontrolled grief in him will assuredly reflect itself
upon them.

Not that Theosophy counsels him to forget the dead; on
the contrary, it encourages him to remember them as often as possible, but
never with selfish sorrow, never with a longing to bring them back to earth,
never with thought of his apparent loss, but only of their great gain.It assures him that a strong loving thought
will be a potent factor in their evolution, and that if he will but think
rightly and reasonably about them he may render them the greatest assistance in
their upward progress.

A careful study of the life of man in the period
between his incarnations shows how small a proportion this physical life bears
to the whole. In the case of the average educated and cultured man, the period
of one life – that is to say of one day in the real life – would average about
fifteen hundred years. Of this period perhaps seventy or eighty years would be
spent in physical life, some fifteen or twenty upon the astral plane, and all
the rest in the heaven-world, which is therefore by very far the most important
part of man’s existence.

Naturally these proportions vary considerably for different
types of men, and when we come to consider the younger souls, born without
opportunity or with disadvantage, we find that these proportions are entirely
changed, for the astral life is likely to be much longer and the heaven-life
much shorter. In the case of the completely undeveloped there is scarcely any
heaven-life at all, because he has not yet developed within himself the
qualities which alone enable the man to attain that life.

The knowledge of all these facts gives a clearness and
certainty to our anticipations of the future which is a welcome relief from the
vagueness and indecision of ordinary thought on these subjects. It would be
impossible for a Theosophist to have any fears about his “salvation”, for he
knows that there is nothing for man to be saved from except his own ignorance,
and he would consider it the grossest blasphemy to doubt that the will of the
Logoswill assuredly be fulfilled in the
case of every one of his children.

No vague “eternal hope” is his, but utter certainty,
born of his knowledge of the eternal law. He cannot fear the future, because he
knows the future; so his

only anxiety is to make himself worthy to bear his
part in the mighty work of evolution. It may well be that there is very little
that he can do as yet; yet

there is none but can do something, just where he
stands, in the circle around him, however lowly it may be.

Every man has his opportunities, for every connection
is an opportunity . Every one with whom we are brought into contact is a soul
who may be helped – whether it be a child born into the family, a friend who
comes into our circle, a servant who joins our household – everyone gives in
some way or other an opportunity. It is not for a moment suggested that we
should make ourselves nuisances by thrusting our opinions and ideas upon every
one with whom we come in contact, as the moreignorant and tactless of our religious friends sometimes do; but we
should be in an attitude of continual readiness to help.

Indeed, we should ever be eagerly watching for an
opportunity to help, either with material aid, so far as that may be within our
power, or with the benefit of our advice or our knowledge, whenever those may
be asked for. Often cases arise in which help by word or deed is impossible for
us; but there can never be a case in which friendly and helpful thought cannot
be poured forth, and none who understands the power of thought will doubt as to
its result, even though it may not be immediately visible upon the physical
plane.

The student of Theosophy should be distinguishable
from the rest of the world by his perennial cheerfulness, his undaunted courage
under difficulties, and his ready sympathy and helpfulness. Assuredly, in spite
of his cheerfulness he will be one who takes life seriously – one who realises
that there is much for each to do in the world, and no time to waste. He will
see the necessity for gaining perfect control of himself and his various
vehicles, because only in that way can he be thoroughly fitted to help others
when the opportunity comes to him.

He will range himself ever on the side of the higher
rather than the lower thought, the nobler rather than the baser;his toleration will be perfect, because he
sees the good in all. He will deliberately take the optimistic rather than the
pessimistic view of everything, the hopeful rather than the cynical, because he
knows that to be always fundamentally the true view – the evil in everything
being necessarily the impermanent part, since in the end only the good can
endure.

Thus he will look ever for the good in everything,
that he may endeavour to strengthen it; he will watch for the working of the
great law of evolution, in order that he may range himself on its side, and
contribute to its energy his tiny stream of force.In this way, by striving always to help, and
neverto hinder, he will become, in his
small sphere of influence, one of the beneficent powers of Nature; in however
lowly a manner, at however unthinkable a distance, he is yet a fellow worker
together with God – and that is the highest honour and the greatest privilege
that can ever fall to the lot of man.